Lebron James The Brand Or Human

For a long time, I came to believed that the Nike slogan of “Just Do It” fueled everyone in the universe and more so, the professional athletes who are paid to wear the logo on their hats, shirt, pants and shoes.

Just Do It…made my golf game better, I bought Nike shoes, golf bag and clubs, I bought into the Nike hype, and yes I did. So did Lebron, MJ, Kobe, Tiger, Venus, Serena, my son and daughter and millions of other Nike buying Americans.

Unlike you and I, the superstars who wear the Nike logo, are paid to be their best to a fault. It is almost expected that these athletes are not allowed to miss a putt, free throw, field goal, or yes a dunk during the off-season.

I guess you know where I am going with this. I know readers of my blog posts over the last few months can or will decide that I am huge Lebron James fan, matter of fact I am knowledgeable on all things Lebron and Cleveland Cavaliers.

As to King James, one thing I know for sure, he is a believer, or shall I say witness to the “Just Do It” cliché. James also takes responsibility for his actions, except for the Conference Finals, when he made an early exit off the court, without displaying his brand of leadership and sportsmanship that became so signature for him during the season.

For that, I gave him a free pass on the misstep, alluding to the fact, that we have to also remember he is young. After learning about the recent dink-incident with the Xavier player, Jordan Crawford at a pick up game, where the King was temporarily de-throned. I was reminded that Lebron is not only young and human, but he is a corporation who is protecting his brand.

Of course the details are very sketchy as to whether Lebron was dunked on, because of course sources are saying the people from Just Do It land confiscated the tapes, or shall I say evidence, leaving dunk-master Jordan Crawford with no proof or bragging rights.

In my opinion, it was not a big deal, as Lebron is not really supposed to be taking on some college kid in a full-fletched dunk-fest, pursuant to contractual obligation with his team. I know for sure its standard with NFL contracts, to prevent off-season injuries.
So it’s easy for the Lebron non-believers to put on the heat. As long as he did not hurt himself in his quest to save his ego, his true fans are happy.

The only thing I disagree with is that Nike did not use that dunk as an opportunity to make another ad showing their pitchman as an underdog. Of course, society forces athletes to be almost near perfect in their everyday life on and off the field/court. Corporate sponsors are paying recession dollars for endorsements, so both the company and the athlete are on permanent notice of any less than perfect performance.

To me Lebron should have hailed the kid as a rising star; yes Jordan Crawford did rise to the occasion, isn’t that what life is all about? But the way it was handled, causes speculation about whether he is even expected to miss a dunk, he is not only a dumpster, he a mentor, volunteer, pro basketball player, father and all around, Nike should “Just Realized That” and “Witness That”.